1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and improved combination chair/walker for providing elderly and disabled persons with a safe supportive system for both walking and sitting. The combination chair/walker permits an elderly or disabled person to move about independently without significant restraint and provides the safety of a surrounding and enclosing system to prevent falling and sliding o slipping out of the seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wheelchairs have been used by elderly and disabled persons both for sitting and for moving about. Often times wheelchairs require another person to move the occupant about and wheelchairs do not generally permit an occupant to walk in an erect position. Moreover, many wheelchairs do not afford ample safety systems to prevent an occupant from sliding or slipping out of the seat onto the floor or to prevent an occupant from falling forwardly out of the chair.
Walkers are available which require an occupant to lift or slide the unit along the floor and the back side or rear of the walkers are usually open which will sometimes permit the walker to be moved ahead of the occupant at too fast a pace or permit an occupant to fall out of the walker in a rearward direction. Walkers are sometimes difficult for a patient to get into or out of and generally offer no seat or sitting board so that a user can conveniently rest.